


musings and truths

by vandrell



Series: warmth permeating the soul [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Introspection, M/M, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29226321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vandrell/pseuds/vandrell
Summary: Sokka gets out of work late and muses on his relationship with Lu Ten.
Relationships: Lu Ten/Sokka
Series: warmth permeating the soul [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145696
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	musings and truths

**Author's Note:**

  * For [snymph12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snymph12/gifts).



> for sin!! (again) I hope this gives you some joy today :))
> 
> ~~i thank anyone who read that shitty summary and still decided to click in to read this~~

Sokka scowls as he steps out of the office space that they’d been renting for the past few months. He loved his sister and Suki with everything he had but they were both workaholics (not that Sokka _wasn’t_ ). He’d wanted to leave work early today. But both of them had kept him occupied with project after project and Sokka hadn’t noticed the time until he’d looked out the window and seen that it was way, _way_ past dark.

He’d grumbled angrily at both of them before grabbing his stuff and running out of the office. Their project was also his baby and he loves it so much but this was the first day (or rather night) since Lu Ten had become CEO that Lu Ten would have been able to leave the office at a reasonable time.

Sokka didn’t mind that Lu Ten was busy, in fact he was glad that his boyfriend (!!!) was fixing the shitshow that is Caldera Corp. But he misses Lu Ten. The past few months have only been stolen minutes and kisses or late night mumblings. 

When Lu Ten had told him that he’d be able to get off work early today as he’d slipped into bed late last night and Sokka had blinked up at him blearily, Sokka had been ecstatic. He’d had _plans_. So many plans. 

That are all going down the drain rapidly. 

It was late enough now that Lu Ten had probably already finished eating and was maybe even getting ready for bed. Sokka groans angrily as he starts making his way towards the subway. It was definitely his fault though for not telling Katara and Suki about his plans for tonight as they’d grown used to him staying later and later in order to avoid going home to an empty apartment. He didn’t want to have to endure the teasing that they’d both undoubtedly heap onto him. 

He sighs as he scans his subway card. 

Lu Ten had also been looking forward to spending time with him. He’d apologized almost every time he’d slipped into bed after Sokka had just drifted off to sleep. He’d apologized for missing their usual regularly scheduled date nights that had quickly become a thing of the past. Sokka had walked into their office many times to a bouquet of flowers, or of chocolates. He’d even endured going for drinks with his friends and a peeved Azula or Zuko handing over a gift or a handwritten letter that they’d been told to pass on. 

(Sokka doesn’t know how he managed to begin to date Lu Ten - though the snickering and teasing that he distinctly remembers from Katara and Suki when they first started dating is probably telling.) 

Sokka can only hope that Lu Ten would forgive him for messing up this time. 

Lu Ten sometimes looks at Sokka with the softest eyes and Sokka doesn’t know what to do with all the emotions that suddenly overcome him. He is not a romance guy (as Suki told him many, many times, both during when they were dating and after) but Lu Ten makes him want to be. Instead of the smoothness Lu Ten manages to embody so effortlessly, Sokka is a fumbling mess that is the opposite of smooth. 

But Lu Ten accepts all of Sokka's bad jokes and puns (well, bad according to everyone else in his life). He also accepts the suspicious looks that Katara and Suki gave him, the groans of awkwardness from Azula and Katara, the gruff almost-hazing from Toph, and even the parental interrogation from Dad and Mom. Of all his friends and family, Aang was probably the only one who was actually nice to Lu Ten. 

(And when Sokka had lavished gratitude and _love_ on Lu Ten for all that he’s done, Lu Ten had merely laughed it off and said that Sokka would have to deal with so much worse. But other than Ozai and Azulon - who Sokka hadn’t even really met anyway - Lu Ten’s family was amazing. Granted, he’d already known Zuko and known Azula peripherally but Sokka _loved_ Iroh.) 

Sokka taps his leg as he waits for the subway train. This had been something that he could do for Lu Ten after all the support and love that Lu Ten always gave him. Sokka always felt bad when Lu Ten gave him gifts or surprised him with dates or just _looked_ at him and Sokka couldn’t return the favor. 

When Sokka tried to bring it up, Lu Ten always waved his worries away and just said something along the lines of, _“Just seeing you and talking to you makes me feel like I’m falling in love with you all over again. Your love language isn’t gifts and dates, Sokka, it’s the way you talk to me and the love you show me in how you act.”_ And just hearing that had made Sokka want to scream to the world about how much he was in love with Lu Ten. 

(Instead he’d screamed to Katara who had repeatedly smacked his shoulder in glee, cringe, and annoyance. She’d then proceeded to shake Aang and ask why he couldn’t say sweet shit like that to her.) 

His train finally arrives and Sokka leaps onto it, mentally yelling at the train to go faster when the doors take ages to close. 

It’s even later by the time that he gets home and as he fumbles with his keys, Sokka lets out a heavy sigh as he prepares himself for whatever will happen on the other side of the doors. He doesn’t know how he’ll apologize but he’ll come up with _something_. 

He unlocks the door and pushes it upon quietly. Lu Ten’s work shoes lie in the foyer and Sokka groans quietly to himself. There’d been a small hope that Lu Ten would have gotten caught up at work or something, but Sokka knows that Lu Ten would’ve texted him if that had happened. 

Sokka pulls off his shoes quietly, looking up and at the darkness that enshrouds the apartment. Maybe Lu Ten had already gone to bed. Sokka wouldn’t blame him for that. The dark circles under Lu Ten’s eyes had been growing darker and darker ever since he’d accepted the position. It had worried Sokka a lot, no matter how much Lu Ten would say that he was ‘fine’ and it was just an adjustment period. 

(Privately, Sokka had come up with a few dozen plans on how to get Ozai fired from the company or arrested but he knows that Lu Ten would have known that it was him and given him a disappointed look.) 

He tiptoes into the apartment, first heading to the bedroom. The door is slightly ajar and the room is dark. Pushing it open a little more and poking his head in, Sokka frowns when he realizes that the bed is messy (Sokka’s fault) and not occupied by a warm, waiting body. 

Padding back down the hall towards the living room, Sokka drops his work bag in the room that they’re currently using as an office. The lights are also off in the living room, though the under cabinet lights are on in the kitchen. 

Sokka inhales deeply and feels a pang of annoyance at himself when he realizes that their favorite take away Thai food is sitting on the dining room table. It’s untouched and uncovered and Sokka kicks himself at the reminder that Lu Ten had also been looking forward to spending time together. 

“...Sokka?” a voice says blearily. 

Sokka yelps, clutching his suddenly pounding heart as he whirls around. 

Lu Ten is sitting up slowly from where he’d apparently dozed off on the couch. He runs a hand through his loose hair and rubs his eyes and blinks at Sokka. Sokka softens at the sight. He so rarely, especially now, gets to see Lu Ten soft and sleepy like this rather than the put-together and competent man that he portrays to the world. 

Sokka walks over to the couch and pushes Lu Ten back down onto the couch and sits next to his torso. Lu Ten is still dressed in his work clothes, tie loosened and shirt pulled out of his slacks at least. 

“Hello,” he says softly as he leans down to press a kiss to Lu Ten’s cheek. 

Lu Ten smiles, the sight of it bringing warmth to Sokka’s body like that of the sun in the middle of a downpour. “Hello.” 

“I’m sorry,” Sokka pushes Lu Ten’s hair out of his face, “I lost track of time.” 

Lu Ten grabs for Sokka’s hand and presses a kiss to it. “That’s okay. Agni knows that I’ve done the same to you every day for the past few months.” 

Sokka frowns. “Today was supposed to be a date night though. We were both so excited.” 

Lu Ten presses another, more insistent, kiss to Sokka’s hand. “And that’s still okay. These things happen Sokka. We’ll always have more time. I’m just happy that we’re both here now, and I’m not exhausted to the depths of my soul.” 

Sokka snorts, “‘To the depths of your soul’? That seems a little excessive. I think you should leave the jokes to me.” 

Lu Ten grins and pulls Sokka down in a hug, “Maybe I should.”

They stay like that for a few minutes before it grows too uncomfortable and Sokka has to push himself up, ignoring the slight whine that Lu Ten gives him. “You haven’t eaten yet?” 

Shaking his head, Lu Ten sits up, dropping his head on Sokka’s shoulder and pushing insistently. 

Sokka laughs and strokes Lu Ten’s hair. “Let’s eat. And then we can go to bed.” 

Lu Ten waggles his eyebrows suggestively and Sokka groans. “I’ll have you know that that doesn’t look near as suave as you think it does.” 

“Then why do you do it?” 

Sokka puts his hand on his chest indignantly and gasps. “How dare you? My eyebrow waggles are peak suaveness. I’ve perfected them! Do you know how long I’ve spent making sure that they’re _perfect_? The audacity you have to insult them!”

Lu Ten laughs, the sound ringing through the air like bells. “I guess I’ll just have to leave the eyebrow waggles to you then.” 

Nodding solemnly, Sokka says, “As you should.” He stands and pulls Lu Ten up. “Come on, time to eat.”

They quietly set about warming up the take away and Sokka revels at the ease in which they move about each other’s space. It’s a physical manifestation of their relationship. 

Food warmed, they settle in at the table and eat, quietly talking about each of their days. 

Sokka finds himself smiling as Lu Ten rolls his eyes or raises a sardonic eyebrow. 

Lu Ten pauses in the middle of his sentence, “What are you looking at?” 

Smirking, Sokka says, “You.” 

“Well, I _did_ notice that.” 

“I just haven’t seen you awake and talking in a while,” Sokka says. 

Lu Ten softens and reaches out to hold one of Sokka’s hands. “I’m glad that we have this time today.” He pauses, “You’re also ridiculous.” 

“Hey!” Sokka protests, “You can’t fault me for wanting to look at your face. After all if you weren’t this handsome who’s to say you would’ve caught my eye in the first place.” 

Lu Ten rolls his eyes, “Don’t start this again, you definitely were the one chasing after me first.” 

“Lies and blasphemy! I was definitely _not_ the one chasing after you first.” 

Snorting, Lu Ten says, “Well whatever you were doing was not chasing anyway.” He laughs, “Agni, you were so bad at it Sokka.” 

Sokka feels himself go red at the reminder. “I still managed to get you to date me!” 

“You did,” Lu Ten smiles, “And I’m glad you did. I’m so grateful that we stumbled upon each other. My world would be darker without you.” 

His blush probably deepens and Sokka groans, setting his head on the table. “Stop teasing me. Why are you so good with words?” 

Lu Ten smirks when he looks up balefully. “That’s the only way my family knows how to interact with each other. You’ve seen how badly Zuko struggles.” 

Sokka wrinkles his nose. 

Lu Ten laughs again. “You really do like to pretend that Zuko isn’t my cousin, don’t you.” 

“It’s weird if I think about it too much.” 

“We can’t be having that, now can we?” Lu Ten stands, “Come on, lets clean up and then go to bed.” 

Sokka stands and helps Lu Ten clear the table, leaving the dishes in the sink to be taken care of tomorrow morning (he has the weekend off, even if Lu Ten does not). 

He yawns as they walk towards the bedroom. “When do you have to go into work tomorrow?” 

Lu Ten pushes open the door to their bedroom and smirks over his shoulder at Sokka as he swiftly sheds his clothing and changes into his sleepwear. “I told them that they had to leave me alone this weekend or I would stage a revolt.” 

Sokka blinks at him in shock in the middle of pulling off his shirt. Lu Ten reaches out and pulls Sokka’s shirt off his arms. “Wait, really?” 

Lu Ten nods, smiling as he drops Sokka’s shirt in their laundry basket. 

He lunges forward and envelops Lu Ten in a crushing, brief hug. “Thank you.” 

“I missed you.” 

“I missed you too.” 

Sokka pushes Lu Ten backwards onto the bed and crawls in under the covers, pulling and tugging at the covers and patting insistently for Lu Ten to get under them. Lu Ten laughs and shifts so that he’s under the covers. 

That settled, Sokka scooches under the covers until he’s snuggled up next to Lu Ten who immediately wraps his arms around Sokka and adjusts their bodies so that his chin is resting atop Sokka’s head. Sokka hums into Lu Ten’s chest and says, muffled, “I love you.” 

Lu Ten’s chest rumbles as he replies, “I love you too. I’m glad you’re here. And I missed hearing your voice.” 

Sokka tries to bury his face into Lu Ten’s chest some more. “I missed talking to you. No one else laughs at my jokes.” 

“I will always laugh at your jokes.” 

“As one should.” 

Lu Ten laughs, grip on Sokka tightening slightly. 

They continue to talk softly - about their friends, about that really cool youtube channel about art restoration, about their trip later this year, about _them_. 

Eventually Sokka feels his eyelids grow heavy and words slur. Lu Ten had already drifted to sleep a few minutes ago, lulled by Sokka’s ramblings. Sokka lets sleep drag him away, smiling slightly to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> :)))) more softness incoming later - i hope you enjoyed this dose
> 
> /[vandrell](https://vandrell.tumblr.com/)


End file.
